Year 11 - 2024/2025: It’s all downhill from here!

[QueenMabby]

New thread to help us get through the next week or so!

Btw I have a slightly different view to @frozendaisyDh. I appreciate that many dc here have sn, anxiety, or bullying and will be glad to leave school. But for some school is just fine. My ds2 likes playing football with his mates and school life has been easy. When you leave school, start work and realise you have the absolute monotony of working 9-5 for 45 years and dred of deciding what you are going to cook for dinner every single frickin night, you might find those school years had a freedom that some didn't appreciate at the time.

DS said English and geography went fine enough so I'm leaving it at that without probing further as there's no point! Relived to have ticked off English though!
DS has also only glanced at Geography 3 but I'm hoping he's already ok at it as there were revising that shortly before Easter at school.

He's got one full day before maths 3 but I'm inclined to advise him to revise FM for the day after instead as he finds that tough and Maths 3 is just more of Maths 2 which he's good at..have I got that right?

He's done a couple of biology papers today and identified Homeostasis as his nemesis so currently watching free science lessons videos on it.

Hope the weekend revision is going well for all.

Prom suit ordered, was stress -free but more spenny than I thought-went to Moss Bros-I think the last time I was involved in suit hire was for our wedding 24 years ago though which probably explains that.
He went for a navy suit but refused to get brown shoes and insisted black would be fine-his choice at the end of the day.
He is currently doing biology revision I believe.
We are almost there gang!

Prom suit, shirt and shoes purchased. Just need an emerald green tie to match his GF's dress. He's gone for a tuxedo so looks a bit James Bond!

He's had a day off revision entirely which I think has done him good.

Well, @SilverSnaffles, I’m absolutely in awe of you.
What a huge amount of angst, trauma and upset you have been through, it’s astonishing. Your DC have an amazing role model in you.

It is appalling that you had to go to Tribunal, threatening JR for each DS1 and DD. Thankfully you yourself, in your actions, were able to solve the unnecessary issues that were being put in front of you. Bloody brilliant!

DS1 journey to Uni, on top of everything else, makes his current successful situation just finishing his second year, even cooler!! To have had an internship wrecked by the “ football lads”… ( aka Utter Bullying Dicks) is heartbreaking. As a parent, you must have been utterly FURIOUS. But, how proud for him to gather the self confidence he had left, to go for foundation course and to start at Uni!! It sounds like he picked the Perfect one for him! Yes, my DS loves anime, too!! The fact the Uni has support groups, is wonderful ( I hadn’t even thought of this), and the anime et al., societies!! YAY!! 🥳 to meet friends, ( and his GF!) …
I love how his Uni is local too- the holidays from Uni are insanely long! ( I don’t remember them being so 🤷‍♀️), so how fab that he can see his uni friends in person, if he wants but, I’m also loving the “watching stuff together” online! My DS does that currently, and I like how your DS can do it in conjunction with “real life” friends, too. Come-Con sounds the most PERFECT end to your DS academic year!!! 🥳

I’m sorry to hear that you have the same issues as your DD2, and late diagnosis must be hard. It must be reassuring ( if that’s the right word), for your DD2 that you are fully understanding of her medical illness and issues ( although, that must add to the strain, you being poorly, also). It’s simply amazing what you have achieved!

Well, happy to hear you got the prom dress 👗 is sorted!!
Another achievement 🤩😹!

The half-term really threw DS off course - he did a little biology revision today but is v distracted, the carbon cycle with nitrates is his sticking point. He is just counting down the exams to mark the end of Y11 and has decided not to attend any study lessons on offer in school as I think the numbers are dwindling. He is attending Prom. I was disappointed he had outgrown a suit (he wore it just once - sob) so had to buy another. A PP mentioned someone had spent $1000 on a prom dress! ouch.

Dds ‘prom’ is basically a 2 hour school disco! All girls school so no boyfriends (or external girlfriends). Dress £15 from Shein and shoes from ASOS. Total £40! Just don’t go near a naked flame and not sure the dress will make another wearing. Shoes are for holiday too.

Yes half term really did for DS as well. He was working well until then and was motivated. He seems to have lost all motivation now. He worked yesterday (paid rather than school work) and was adamant he was going to revise in the evening but wasted so much time when he got home. In the end I did about 45 minutes of history with him and that was that.

I suspect today will be a massive struggle to get him to do anything 😮‍💨

Running out of steam here too - it's just so drawn out. At first when I saw the exam timetable I thought that was a good thing, but not so sure any more.

I just keep pointing out to DD that today is the last big revision day. She has 5 exams M-W (2 of them are Spanish, taken one immediately after the other totalling under 2 hours so it's not quite as bad as it sounds), so by Wednesday lunchtime it will just be 3 left.

Just need to keep her on track for today. And also sort out her birthday, just after exams end which I keep forgetting about what with all the prom/mini break sorting!

DD didn't do anything at all yesterday. Today is quite busy till after lunch. We'll see how much happens...she's admitted she's had enough. She gradually lost motivation over all the mocks etc. I think each time that had mocks (last summer, autumn, Jan) she's worked a little less hard, whereas DS only stated working for Jan mocks and is now on fire. DH always laughed at my 'peaking too early' theory but I think I'm spot on.

I recall reading that students often go up a grade from mocks but looking at the length of the MFL vocab list I'm worried it might go the other way!

Dd currently doing a biology past paper. It’s one of her favourite subjects and an A level choice but the mark schemes always seem oddly specific and inflexible. She finds it very frustrating. Not sure much Spanish has been done.

Morning! Well, getting my last post last night was a drama?? Got stuck for well over an hour and I couldn’t cancel and reply to others.. as well! It did get me to thinking….. what will happen when THIS thread “ runs out”?! @QueenMabby, you are the Queen of this..for which you are an absolute 🌟!…. if you set up a continuation, are you able to give us a heads up/link in advance- I’m sorry, until lurking/ joining here, never been on Mumsnet before! ( and, oh! The internal drama when I went to post on the old thread, DH on 👮 revision duty, foils on my head, and I COULD NOT! 😳🙀😹!).. 🙏huge thanks for all of this.

Well, here, DH has gone off to his hobby, and I’m trying to keep on the right side of DS…. As I’m sure you will all recognise that!… trying not to poke the bear….. AT ALL!…, but, 💥!.. poked and sod all gets done!! Sometimes, I feel it’s like he is trying to find an excuse and justification for NOT revising- as weird as that sounds. DH is def more of an antagoniser, without realising ( when I’m overhearing, thinking “Nooooooo!!!! Stop!!! That’s just going to wind him up”…! So, currently, I did the conspiratorial “ Ok! So! Dad said he’ll be back by 2.30.. ( will he hell, shocked if before 5pm 🙄)..and he’s going to mark your paper so………”…,
DS barely looked up from his screen ( well, he actually didn’t, but his eyelids flickered in frustration and irritation) and stated “ well, you’d better give it to me at 12…”..,

So, that’s where we are this morning. It’s a 🤞for a Biology past paper….. 🤞🤞🤞 to you all! I’m going to catch up on what you guys are up to………😸

Yes! Weird you say that! I’m just looking at the mark scheme, it’s precisely that 🤷‍♀️🙄🤷‍♀️?

I hope DD’s Spanish gets a look at, too.. it must be so hard with coping with that, too 😳

@SilverSnaffles huge well done to your son - not easy to get back into things like that.

I'm interested that he lives at home. We're planning on doing that with DD (she's ADHD as well as the dyslexia) as I just think she would completely fall apart trying to manage living alone as well as navigating university. She's very happy with the idea, but I was wondering if there are any things that you have found in the practice that you might not have thought about beforehand?

She'll still have a commute but it will be a very tiny, specialist London college that doesn't have a big campus or halls etc so she will be 'missing out' on the big uni experience anyway.

Agree with all of those about half-term being a bit of a killer on the motivation front. A bank holiday weekend would have been better.

DD is just done with it all. Her most important exam is her last one and I am struggling to get her to open a book. She just seems to have mentally had enough. She's also very emotional about leaving school suddenly (nice that she's happy and loves it there, but is also proving a distraction).

We have done NO Spanish, pretty much all the biology past papers (an A Level choice) Mao China for History but no Spanish.

she hates it hates it

We have had a Spanish morning but I can tell he hasn't looked at Spanish for weeks. He usually smashes the listening (foundation paper) but he didn't do as well as usual. Biology revision this afternoon but after his exam tomorrow I am going to hammer him on vocab!

All the best to everyone this week. Penultimate week for us, with 4 exams this week.

Same struggle with the post half-term lull, but we're plodding on 🤞🏾.

Week and half left for my two - DS A-level heavy week. Not sure either is using the time left wisely but nagging not changing that. So fingers crossed they did enough revision before now.

"I love Hitler"

Context is very important at times!

I love that DS has found that when something really interests you it doesn't feel like learning, more feeding your mind (God, that sound wanky....you know what I mean....).

It's quite strange when that happens and you see the light dawn in their eyes.

DD has wanted endless analysis sessions with me this week over the new Hunger Games book and was a bit stunned when I pointed out that this was basically English Literature - just with a source material that she was really excited by and interested in. If she could have felt the same way about Jekyll & Hyde, imagine what she might have written!

Pointed out that she doesn't see her future courses as 'work' because she enjoys the subjects so much that it doesn't feel like a slog (even if there will be bits she enjoys less than others), and that that is really important. I look forward to Mondays because my job is something I would happily do as a hobby.

Just had a quick recap of the menstrual cycle with a 16 yr old rattyboy!
Had to explain that it's where everyone starts out of and whether he likes it or not he might need to be able to label the hormone levels during the cycle diagram.

We were almost at the, when a mummy bee and a daddy bee love each other very very much stage........."or just write down the storks bring us and leave it at that if you like"

Or the opposite of light dawning in their eyes:
Ethical negatives of embryo screening? - and it's just one dark optic tunnel of shrug!

DS seems to be spending the weekend ion biology despite my gentle hints and 6 exams next week - so stubborn - but in control of his own destiny I guess - he can’t wait to drop biology either